by Unknown
She stopped as directed when she reached the center of the field and after about a beat of two, Gage's voice floated across the stadium, singing the old Chuck Berry song, "Earth Angel." Another two beats later, Mase appeared at the entrance of the Pursuers' team tunnel. She tracked his progress as he came to her. He was still in his pads, making his already large frame even bigger, practically dwarfing her small frame.
They had the song timed perfectly. As soon as Mase stopped before her, Gage sang the last note. Jo smiled up at him. "Are you getting an award?"
He slowly shook his head, gave her a nervous smile, then got down on one knee. She stared down at Mase and with a click, her brain put everything together, the sappy smiles on her friends faces, the lyrics to the song, Mase down on one knee. Her hands flew up and covered her mouth. Then to her mortification (she never thought she would be that girl), she broke out in tears.
*
Never in his life, had Mase been so nervous. Not even his first game as starting, pro quarterback could hold a candle to the way he felt at that moment, down on bended knee, waiting for any kind of reaction from Jo. His palms were sweaty, his mouth dry, and he didn't think he could speak even if he wanted to.
He watched as her mind processed what was happening and knew she finally got it when her curious smile turned into an "O" of surprise that her hands quickly covered, and her eyes grew big in disbelief. But it was the tears that punched him in the gut.
He reached up and took her hands, uncovering her mouth and brought them to his lips for a kiss. "Babe, stop. You know how I hate to see you cry." He was miked up. He'd wanted everyone to hear his question and the world to hear her answer, declaring him officially taken.
She gave him a watery smile and a little sob-laugh just as he'd hoped she would. "I'd thought long and hard about what I wanted to say and realized, no words could properly convey how much I love you or how much you mean to me. So I decided I needed a grand gesture," he threw out an arm and pointed to the giant screen, "with a jumbotron and a kick-ass song, asking you to be mine. So, what do you say, Angel? Will you marry me?"
He watched for when she opened her mouth to speak and timing it perfectly, he held up a hand and said, "Oh, wait." She quickly snapped her mouth shut and gave him a quizzical look. "One more grand gesture." He stood and turned, shouting very clearly into his mike, "Ready guys?"
A full marching band came out of the tunnel, playing fanfare. Mase turned his head and saw Jo with her mouth hanging open in shock. He waited for her eyes to come to his then gave her a quick wink. The band came to a halt a few yards away and stopped playing. The drummer stepped forward, handed Mase a small black box, turned on her heel, and with a blow of her whistle led the band (minus the fanfare) back to the tunnel.
Mase pulled the two-carat, princess-cut diamond from the box then snapped the lid. He took her left hand and raising it to his lips, kissed the back of it. "Okay, now you can answer."
"Are you quite certain? A tiger won't be leaping out of the tunnel next, will it?"
Mase tipped his head back and laughed. "No, that's it. All my grand gestures for the night are done. Except," he held up his pointer, "for one more, but that one comes after your answer."
"Well, in that case, my answer is yes. Yes, I'll marry you." Jo smiled, a smile so radiant, it made him catch his breath. He stood in awe, thinking not for the first time in her presence, that he was the fucking luckiest man alive.
Emotion welled up in his chest, and he had to clear his throat to talk. "Well, in that case," he said, repeating her words. "For my final grand gesture..." He slipped the ring on her finger then swept her into his arms for a very long, very thorough, heart-stopping, grand gesture kind of kiss.
Epilogue
Five years later...
"Mommy can't bend very far so be sure to get the tinsel all over the lower branches for me, okay?" Jo smiled down at her son and ran her fingers through his baby-soft hair. At three and a half, he was smart as a whip.
"Kay." He plucked a few strands out of the box with his chubby, little fingers and half tossed/half placed the tinsel over a low branch.
"Perfect. Now, do that all the way around."
"Looks beautiful, Angel. Almost as beautiful as you."
Jo turned her head and saw Mase come into the room. She gave him a smile. Watching Mase walk into a room always made her smile.
Heat hit her back as two strong arms wrapped around her front, his hands easily finding and rubbing her very large belly. "Need to leave for the airport to pick up Mom. I'll take Ben with me. Will you be okay?"
Jo placed her hands over his and leaned into his chest. "I'll be fine. I'll bake cookies for the party tomorrow." She tilted her head to grin at him. "Bonus, I can blast the Christmas music you hate so much."
She felt his chuckle against her back before he bent to kiss her neck. "Keep your cell close."
"Stop worrying. I still have a whole week til my due date, and you know I was late with Ben."
"I don't like leaving you. Maybe I should call Derek and have him pick her up."
"That's needlessly silly. She's staying with us. Why make Derek drive all the way to the airport, then here, then all the way back home?"
She heard Mase sigh and knew he found her logic sensible. "Fine, but keep your cell phone close."
Jo giggled. "You've said that already."
He growled into her neck. "Well, I'm saying it again, woman." He gave her one last squeeze before stepping away. "You ready to go get Grandma from the airport, Ben?"
Ben looked out from behind the tree. "Not done, Daddy."
"That's okay. You can finish when you get back. Grandma's excited to see you." Jo took his hand and pulled him from behind the tree. "Run and go potty real quick, so you and Daddy can go."
Jo watched him scamper off, Charlie close on his heels. Best bodyguard ever.
She hugged herself to Mase's side and tipped her head to look at him. "Chris should be here soon." He was driving in from California with his girl. He'd gotten a full-ride, football scholarship from USC and was currently in his junior year. Mase had said a lot of teams had their eye on Chris, but he hoped he got picked up by the Pursuers. He would love nothing better than to train him to be their next starting quarterback.
"Yeah, he texted me about an hour ago. He and Kim are going to hang with some friends tonight, but he'll be here for the party tomorrow," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
"Humph," Jo muttered, displeased.
Mase chuckled and gave her a little squeeze. "Don't worry, mamma bear, you'll see your cub soon."
Ben ran back into the room. "Ready, Daddy."
"Okay, my man, give Mommy a kiss, and let's hit the road."
Jo felt a trickle of wetness slip down her inner thigh right before a tight pain gripped her stomach. Oh, shit. She dropped the spoon she'd used to stir the sugar cookie batter back into the bowl and held onto the edge of the counter with both hands. She concentrated on the lyrics to the Christmas carol that played in the background until the pain passed. She'd had unusually severe back pain today, but with how much her back had been hurting lately, she really didn't think much of it. Guess she should have paid attention. Mase was going to kill her.
Her phone was close. She couldn't stop the giggle, thinking of Mase as she reached for it and hit his speed-dial button.
"Hey, babe. We got Mom, but there's a slight problem. We just got on the freeway and there must be an accident or something up ahead. Traffic's not moving. Not sure how long it'll take us to get home."
"Um..." Yikes!
"Um, what?"
Best to just tell him fast. Like ripping off a Band-aid. "My water just broke."
Silence for a count of three and then, "Fuck!"
Jo closed her eyes and sighed, knowing that would be her son's new favorite word for the next month.
"Please tell me you're joking."
"I wish I was. I have cookies in the oven."
"Fuck the co
okies."
Jo cringed, wishing he would stop saying that word but smart enough not to say anything at the moment. She happened to like her head where it was, thank you very much.
"I'm calling an ambulance."
"No, don't! The media will be all over this if you do that."
"Well, you can't drive yourself. Fuck, I knew I shouldn't have left you alone."
"Dear, maybe you should stop using the F-word. Little ears and all that." Jo heard over the line and sent a silent, "Thank you," to Mase's mom, Vicky.
"I'll call Gage and Cassie. They're only five minutes away. Besides, with as many times as Gage has taken Cassie to the hospital, I'm sure he knows all the shortcuts." Jo said, in jest, hoping to jolly Mase out of his funk. Although, her statement was probably accurate, seeing as Cassie was pregnant with their fourth child.
"Call them. Then call me right back. I want to be on the phone with you the whole time."
Ten minutes later, Gage helped her into the empty backseat of his oversized SUV. "Where are the kids?" She directed her question to Cassie, who sat in the front.
"Coincidentally enough, Laurie was over when you called. She's watching them."
Cassie aunt was a godsend. Always around at just the right time.
"How far apart are the contractions?" Cassie asked, adjusting her seat belt over her own protruding belly.
"Too damn close. Tell Gage to hurry the fuck up." Both girls looked at the phone Jo held clutched in her hand as Mase's voice came through the speaker. She'd put him on speakerphone when she'd called him back after calling Gage.
"Today's episode is brought to you by the letter F," Jo deadpanned.
Cassie giggled. "In his defense, it is an F-word kind of moment."
"Don't encourage him," Jo said, trying to stretch the seat belt over her large belly. "He's got Ben in the backseat."
"Oh, dear."
They arrived at the hospital in record time, and she was admitted and shown to her private birthing room. Cassie helped her change into a hospital gown and got her settled comfortably in the bed.
"Your doctor should be here shortly." The nurse informed her after inserting her IV and checking her vitals.
"Thank you," Jo said, to the retreating nurse's back.
"Now that you're settled, I'm going to find Gage and fill him in on what's going on. I called Alexis, and she should be here soon. I'll come back with her in a few minutes."
Jo gave her a smile. "I'll be fine. Besides, I'm sure Mase is still hanging around," she said, with a wave of her phone.
"Damn right, I'm still here." Both girls silently rolled their eyes at each other. Jo even went as far as shaking her head.
"Don't think I don't know you're rolling your eyes at me, Angel."
"Oh, my God, how could you know that?" Came Jo's shocked reply. Cassie laughed on her way out the door.
Mase said, simply, "Babe."
"Knock, knock," Jo's doctor said, entering the room.
"Hey, Doctor Rose."
She looked around the room. "Where's Mason?"
"I'm here, Doc."
Doctor Rose looked quizzically at Jo. "He's stuck in traffic on the freeway."
"Well, let see how you're doing, shall we." She went to the contractions monitor and read the paper printout before doing a vaginal exam. "Well, feels like you're about eight centimeters."
"How much time do I got, Doc?" Mase asked.
"It's hard to say," Doctor Rose said, peeling off her gloves. "Do you know how long you've been in labor for, Jo?"
"Only a few hours," Mase called out, from the phone.
Jo shook her head. "I've had a lower backache all day that seemed a little worse than usual, but I honestly thought it was just a backache."
The doctor nodded. "Well, I would say you have at least an hour, Mason, maybe longer."
"Don't you dare have that kid without me, Angel."
"I'll do my best, Ace."
Another contraction gripped her middle, and Jo heard the doctor say, "Push, Jo, push."
She bore down with all her strength until she nearly passed out.
"Breathe, baby, breathe." She heard whispered in her ear.
She took a deep lungful of much-needed oxygen.
"I've got the head. One more big push to get past the shoulders, and you'll be home free."
"You're doing great, Angel. I love you. Just one more big push."
Jo closed her eyes and let Mase's soothing voice wash over her as she gave one last push and delivered their baby girl into the world. She fell back on the bed, a smile on her lips as she listened to the sweet sound of pissed-off crying.
Mase kissed her hand he'd been holding, then kissed her tenderly on the lips. "She's beautiful, Angel, thank you."
"What are we going to name her?" Mase asked, lightly running his finger down the baby's soft cheek as Jo cradled her in her arms.
They were snuggled tightly in her hospital bed, Mase's arm around Jo's shoulders, her head, resting on his shoulder. Everyone had already come for a visit and gone, with promises of seeing them tomorrow. Gage and Cassie had volunteered to drop Vicky and Ben off at Mase and Jo's house where she would watch him for the night until they came home the next day.
"I thought maybe Holly because she was born so close to Christmas. Holly Berry. What do you think?"
Mase leaned away from her and gave her a what-the-hell look. "Like the actress?"
Jo giggled. "Oh, my goodness," she laughed some more. "The actress's name is Hallie, but you're right that's way too close. Okay, what about Joy Noel?"
She watched as Mase thought a moment. "Joy Noel Connor. I like it." Jo's smile turned into a yawn. "Here, let me take her, so you can take a nap. I'm sure you're exhausted."
Jo gratefully handed Mase the baby and felt love wash over her as he snuggled her close, lightly kissing her on the forehead. He turned to her and gave her the same forehead kiss. "Love you, sweetheart."
She tilted her head back so he could kiss her lips. Which he did very thoroughly. "I love you, too."
*
Vicky pulled the last batch of cookies from the oven. They were shaped as candy canes and would be stacked on top of the snowmen and snowflakes as soon as they cooled. She poured the pot of coffee into a warming carafe, lightly humming a Christmas tune while sounds of happy laughter filtered to her from the other room.
She loved spending time with her family during the holidays and seeing them so happy, surrounded by such good friends, made it that much better. She plated the last of the cookies and took them and the coffee into the living room.
"Thanks, Mom." Mase sat on the couch Jo's feet resting in his lap as she lay with her back against the couch arm, cradling Joy in her arms.
"You're welcome, honey," she said, snagging a cookie for herself and taking a seat in one of the overstuffed chairs.
Jack sat in one of the other chairs, Alexis on his lap. Jack was a cuddler, she could tell. Whenever she'd seen them together, his arms were always wrapped around his wife in some way or another. Now, they hugged her waist, while he gave her soft temple kisses between whispered words in her ear.
Amber Lynn, Alexis and Jack's four-year-old daughter and Katie, Gage and Cassie's five-year-old daughter, played Candyland with Cassie. The group sat on the floor by the Christmas tree. Not a wise choice for every few minutes, one of the dogs would walk across the board, messing things up. Shouts would be heard from the girls followed by laughter from Cassie. Laughter that caught Gage's attention every time he heard it, causing his eyes to seek her out and love to transform his features as he watched her.
The little ones, Alexis and Jack's two-year-old daughter, Maggie, Gage and Cassie's two and a half-year-old son, Travis, and Ben used Gage as a jungle gym, crawling all over him as he lay on the floor.
Derek and Sam sat at a card table with Kyle, Logan, Chris, and Kim, playing poker. Kyle had the largest pile of chips in front of him, and she smiled when she saw her grandson slipping Logan some chips when
his parents weren't looking. She would have to keep her eye on those two sneaks.
Happiness and contentment filled the room and Vicky's heart overflowed with the love she saw displayed about her. She needed to capture this feeling in a picture and hang it on her wall so when she looked at it, she could relive this beautiful moment. She jumped up from her chair.
"Where are you going?" Mase asked, clearly startled by her sudden movement.
"I need my camera. I want to get a picture of everyone." She heard a few groans, but that didn't discourage her. She would get her picture.
She came back a minute later. "Okay, let's position everyone around the couch that way Jo doesn't have to get up."
She had Mase scoot closer to a now sitting up Jo, making room for Jack and Alexis to sit beside them. Mase held Ben on his lap, his arm wrapped around Jo, who still held the baby. Alexis held the squirming Maggie on her lap while Jack held Amber Lynn on his.
Gage and Cassie sat on the floor in front of the couch, Logan between them, Katie held by Gage, and Travis held by Cassie. All their heads leaning towards each other. Derek, Sam, and Kyle stood behind the couch, Derek in the middle, his arms draped across his wife and son's shoulders, hugging them close. Chris stood beside Kyle, one arm wrapped firmly around Kim's waist, the other making rabbit ears behind Kyle's head.
She studied each face one by one.
She saw love.
She saw friendship.
She saw happiness.
And
She saw forever.
She snapped the picture.
Author Bio
Hi everyone,
I'm Sarah Curtis (that's a pseudonym of my kids names). I'm a 46 year-old mother of two, grandma of 2 and live with my husband of 29 years in Southern California.
